Mail Day Review – Welcome To The Show

I am a card collector.  I collect all sorts of cards, not just sports cards.  I have a big box in storage that holds a ton of old 80’s entertainment cards like Alf, Batman, Garbage Pail Kids, Benchwarmer and many, many more.  If it’s a “trading card”, I probably collect it on some level.  So when I recently tuned in to Beckett Radio’s podcast and they had Mike James on talking about his new set, “Welcome to The Show”, naturally I was intrigued.  I then heard him on That Sports Card Show’s podcast and it was enough of a sign for me to go and check out this set.  A little disclaimer before we get started.  Some of the images in the cards may not be for people who are squeamish with body piercings, sword swallowing and tattoos.Mike James is a professional artist who has worked with many card sets in the past and is no stranger to trading cards.  He is also no stranger to sideshow’s as he was a performer in the group dubbed “The Lamest Sideshow on Earth”.  In this new set, Welcome to The Show, James combines his art work with his experience as a sideshow act and brings some of the most famous names in the business to life on a trading card.  I have never seen a true sideshow act in person but I have always been interested in the bizarre, so to speak.  Whether it be a reality show or something scripted like American Horror Story, my interest is always piqued when checking them out. The set itself consists of 20 base cards and an autographed version of each.  The set you purchase includes all of the base cards and one random autograph from the set.  He also has the entire autographed set available for purchase on his Facebook page, Mike James-Artist and the group page, Welcome to The Show.  The set of 20 base cards and one random autograph is only $20, plus $5 shipping, so the investment is very small at this time.  After seeing the cards and hearing some of the back stories of putting the set together in the above mentioned podcasts, I’d bet that now is the only time you’ll ever be able to get this set for $20.  When it hits the secondary market, this could be a very hot item because of its quality and uniqueness.The cards are standard sized 3.5”x2.5” and are printed very well on what appears to be a semi-glossy card stock.  The fronts of the cards have a yellow and black border with the “Welcome to The Show” logo across the top.  The name of the performer is printed in the center bottom portion of the card with the photo taking center stage, no pun intended.  The backgrounds of the cards are red and present a very appealing visual look with the black, yellow and red.  The backs of the cards provide a very detailed look at the performer, including some of the Guinness World Record highlights, how long they have been performing and the acts they are famous for.  I enjoyed reading the backs of the cards as much as I enjoyed going through the set.  Not many card sets can tout that these days.The random autograph I pulled was “The Space Cowboy”.  The autograph is on-card, which is very sought after in today’s card market.  Mike stated on the podcast that he sent these cards all over the world to get signed by the performers.  Unless you buy the set, good luck getting many of the autographs that are available here.  I don’t think I’ll be seeing The Space Cowboy at a card show anytime soon.  That’s part of what makes the set so unique.  These aren’t items you are going to pick up at your local card shop or waiting outside of the player parking lot after a game.The artwork on the cards is unbelievable and fit the genre so perfectly.  I have researched some of Mike’s other work and he seems to be able to capture the subject and genre very well in each of his sets.  These sets have included Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Star Trek and The Walking Dead.  Each of the cards in these sets has been given a look to match their respective namesakes.  I don’t really know how to put in words what I am trying to convey but when you see Star Trek and Walking Dead, you have two totally different visual aspects.  Mike nails them both on those card sets, much like he did with this one.  When I look at the artwork on these cards, it’s exactly what I envision when thinking about a sideshow. The set includes many of the big names in the sideshow business.  They may not be names that you’ll immediately recognize but when you read the backs of the cards, you get a sense of their importance to the genre.  One performer included that many will recognize is “The Lizardman”.  If you’ve never seen him or heard of him, you’ve been living under a rock.  I had also heard of “Bobo’s Loco Carneval”, “The Great Orbax”, “Jim Rose” and “Doc Haze”.  I’m sure I’m familiar with several others’ work but I just got the set and haven’t got my research done completely.  A few of my personal favorites of the set so far are Titano Oddfellow, Lassi and Anastasia IV.  I liked all of the cards in the set but these jumped out at me in my first pass through.  Anastasia IV is a total smokeshow that can pull a 2.5 ton hearse with the locks of her hair.  Her husband, Hannibal, is also included in the set and they are members of “The Circus of Horrors” so admire her from a distance!I’m not going to list every performer in the set or their bio’s because I don’t want to spoil the fun for you.  But I will mention that Mike has his very own trading card depicting his sideshow character, Mnsr. Stinky Pants.  That must be really cool but also sort of strange, drawing yourself portraying a character.  I’m giving this set a perfect score of 5 on the Dub-O-Meter!  If you collect cards, find interest in rarer/odd sets or just generally like amazing artwork, go buy this set before they are gone and you are left sifting through EBay for a set.  I bought the set to check it out, knowing that I would open it to take in the full visual and design concept.  I will be buying another set to leave sealed for my PC.  Of course, I’d love to get my hands on an Anastasia IV, Lassi or Lizardman autograph but that may or may not be able to happen right away.  I have a feeling they won’t be easy to find.  This is a beautifully designed set and I would recommend it to anyone who has an interest in it.  Check it out!

Dub Score – 5